Jeremy Lin’s Career Ready To Blast Off With Byron Scott’s Arrival

Apr 30, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lin (7) reacts to a play during the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers in game five of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center.
Reuters/ Andrew Richa

With the arrival of former Showime player Byron Scott as the next head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeremy Lin's career is set to take off once again. And there's tons of reason why the Scott-Lin partnership will work.

Coming off a year where shooting percentages improved despite limited minutes with the Houston Rockets, Lin might have already figured out what's efficiency means. But with Scott's guidance, the Harvard-educated baller is expected to take this to another level by cutting turnovers and scoring more points on lesser attempts.

Moreover, Scott had been known throughout his career as a feisty competitor on both ends of the floor. He was a resilient defensive ace for the Lakers, and at the same time, a solid offensive contributor during the Showtime era.

And apparently, the new Lakers coach sees some of his characters in Lin's game.

Even before he was officially hired by the Lakers to become their main tactician on the sideline, Scott has already shown a deep desire to coach Lin. In an interview with Time Warner Sports Net, Scott admitted that he's a fan of Lin because of his aggressiveness on the offensive end, while holding his grown against some of the best guard in the league.

He also believed that Lin will be playing next season with a 'chip on his shoulder' as he looks to bounce back from a subpar stint with the Rockets.

Scott's Impact on Lin

The 25-year old Lin averaged 12 points and 4 dimes in 29 minutes a game for the Rockets. The numbers might not be at par with elite point guards such Chris Paul or Stephen Curry, but it's nevertheless a solid stats for a backup point guard.

With Scott around, Lin is expected to have plenty of playing time whether he'll start or play behind Steve Nash. At 40, Nash cannot longer play the same amount of minutes he had during his prime in Phoenix, and it's ideal to think the former two-time MVP will log just around 20 minutes per game.

As for Lin, Scott can use him either as his primarily playmaker or a off-guard scorer because of his versatility to play both positions. Moreover, Scott's experience in handling elite point guards such as Jason Kidd in New Jersey, Chris Paul in New Orleans and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland will benefit Lin tremendously.

While the idea of Lin becoming an All-Star calibre playmaker next season is something to be proven, there's no doubt that the Asian-American basketball star will have a better season with the Lakers. Perhaps, Scott is what Lin needs to reach his full potential.